When you bring delivery in-house and work with third-parties on an as-needed basis, you retain your customers and delivery flexibility.
When was the last time you truly thought about the various ways your customers interact with your restaurant brand?
These interactions, when combined, are referred to as the customer journey, a concept that is extremely important to master if you’re looking to capture potential customers and keep them coming back for more.
Pre-pandemic, the typical restaurant customer touchpoints looked a lot like this:
But when the pandemic hit, all traditional restaurant norms were tossed, like a pizza base, right out the window.
With the pandemic forcing the closure of thousands of restaurants, food delivery options skyrocketed 13%, according to Statista.
Because of the pandemic, many operators gladly handed the delivery operations over to third-party delivery businesses and food delivery apps that were more than happy to save the day.
At the time it was a win-win for operators and third-party providers alike. It helped both sides survive a tumultuous time for the restaurant industry.
But now, the pandemic storm has subsided.
And with the food delivery industry forecasted to grow to 21% of restaurant sales by 2025, operators are trying to discover new ways to work with delivery agents while simultaneously retaining control of their customer data and taking back control of the customer journey.
Luckily for you, we know just the trick.
The thought of managing your own food delivery services can be scary.
It may in fact be the reason you weren’t delivering before the pandemic and the reason you signed on with third-party marketplace apps during the pandemic.
But delivery doesn’t have to be scary when you have easy-to-integrate technology that helps automate delivery management.
Imagine using your own in-house drivers, or a small, local delivery service provider to deliver most of your orders, helping you keep a better handle on your customer service, branding, and data.
It’s a fact that 44% of consumers prefer to place delivery orders directly through a restaurant’s website or app. This is your chance to give them what they want.
And maybe even increase that customer satisfaction score amongst your customer base…
On busy weekends, if you get overwhelmed by order volume or want to capture orders outside of your typical delivery radius, delivery management software is the icing on the cake.
Or the cheese on the pizza. Whatever you’re into.
Such a system will automatically assist you by alerting a driver from a third-party delivery company that you need help.
All the while everything always remains under your brand and in your control.
It may sound impossible, or like another confusing technology that won’t integrate with your existing systems. But the technology is simpler to integrate and use than you may think.
Restaurant businesses around the world are already using a hybrid delivery approach available to them through their restaurant delivery software in order to take back control of the customer journey.
When you bring delivery in-house and work with third-party delivery businesses on an as-needed basis, you retain your customers and get the perks afforded by third-party apps.
The pandemic opened everyone’s eyes to food delivery’s possibilities.
At the time, it was more about business survival than profits.
But now, it’s different.
As we continue the journey, a growing number of new and seasoned operators will make the decision to bring delivery in-house.
Many will need help.
A hybrid delivery approach that allows operators and third-party providers to work together while restaurants control the customer journey is a natural evolution and one that will only grow into the future.
Now that you’re better equipped with knowledge on how to better control the customer journey, look towards improving it!
Book a demo with our team to learn more about our post-delivery marketing capabilities to make sure you’re the one always on your customers mind!
Read more about the restaurant delivery industry below!
March 30, 2021
April 4, 2022
March 30, 2023
